1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to cookware and more particularly, to a cooking container having legs depending from its bottom surface to simultaneously facilitate the stacking of numerous such containers and for attachment of the container lids to such depending legs.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventional cookware is generally composed of a container having vertical sidewalls extending upwardly from a bottom surface, an elongated handle, and a cover. Cooking vessels of this type, however, are well known to be inadequate for stacking, storing and packaging, and have several related shortcomings, other than unattractive displays and cabinets, which ultimately affect the consumer.
Cookware to date has associated costs, that if reduced, could produce savings to the consumer and manufacturer. Packaging expenses, for one, are higher than necessary because each cookware piece requires individual protection from breaking. Therefore, dividers, fillers and adhesives must be inserted to secure lids and containers that would otherwise be loose. Such custom made boxes, although more expensive, often provide the only means for safe packaging. Likewise, shipping costs are excessive, in that an inordinate number of boxes are required when making shipments to compensate for valuable space wasted in packaging. Furthermore, typical cookware presents an awkward construction for purposes of storage and display, both domestically and commercially, making it difficult to maintain cookware sets without losing lids or other components which must then be replaced. The foregoing expenses are particularly relevant when considering it is the retail consumer that must bear the overhead costs through markups, therefore any reduction in these overhead costs results in realized savings in the purchase price to the consumer.
The prior art teaches a variety of cookware that has resolved unrelated problems while leaving the present needs unfulfilled. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,222,493, issued to Friedman, describes cookware that is adjustable for depth. An additional structure, issued to Paul and disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,936,450, is directed to a custom shipping and display container which supports pans while presenting them in a display. However, the prior art fails to teach of providing cookware which minimizes the space required when storing and shipping such cookware and the problems such cookware would resolve, i.e. packaging and shipping costs. Therefore, there still exists a need for such cookware.
The present invention overcomes the aforementioned problems by providing stackable cookware having tapered sidewalls for mating a pair of self-contained lids, pending legs, and a non-obstructing handle, all of which facilitate the stacking of numerous containers to reduce the cost of shipping and packaging. This stackable cookware design eliminates the need for custom made boxes and additional packaging material, while substantially increasing the number of containers that can be packed in a typical box. In addition, the present invention provides cookware that is better suited for storage in cabinets and display in retail outlets. Since no design has ever been submitted for stackable cookware, this patentable invention is submitted as novel, useful, and unobvious.